Petition Increase aid and support for Palestinians

In the last two weeks, MPs have been regularly discussing the situation in Israel and Palestine. You can find details of relevant discussions in the House of Commons, and how to keep up to date on future business, below.

On Monday 16 October, the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak MP, made a statement in the House of Commons about Israel and Gaza.

• Read the statement
• Watch the statement

On Wednesday 18 October the Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly MP, answered an urgent question about the explosion at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza.

• Read the transcript
• Watch this debate

On Monday 23 October, the Prime Minister made a further statement in the House of Commons about Israel and Gaza.

• Read the transcript
• Watch the statement

What are Ministerial statements?

Ministerial statements are a way for Ministers to bring an important matter to the attention of the House.

• Find out more Ministerial statements here

What are Urgent Questions?

If an urgent or important matter arises which an MP believes requires an immediate answer from a government minister, they may apply to ask an urgent question.

The relevant Government Minister has to come to the Chamber to explain what the Government is doing on the issue raised. The Minister will then usually take questions on the subject from MPs.

• Find out more about Urgent Questions

Keep up to date

You can find out about upcoming business in the House of Commons, including future discussions about the situation in Israel and Palestine, using Parliament's 'What's on' page.

Find out more about the situation in Israel and Palestine

The House of Commons has published a briefing on UK and international response to the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The House of Commons has also published a reading list that provides links to Commons Library papers, Committee reports, parliamentary material and UK Government press releases related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during the current parliament. It also includes material on issues related to the current conflict, such as Iran’s influence in the Middle East and Hezbollah’s position in Lebanon. This paper will be updated regularly.

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A group of MPs called the Foreign Affairs Committee are looking into the UK’s engagement with the Middle East and North Africa.

The Committee is considering issues including:

• The medium and long-term challenges facing the countries of the Middle East and North Africa

• The main countries in which the UK should focus its efforts within the region

• The conflict between Israel and Palestine and what can be done to engage all parties in seeking a peaceful resolution

• How the UK should respond to the growing engagement of major powers like Russia, China, Turkey and India in the region.

The investigation was launched in July, but following recent events the Committee has confirmed that it is likely to look at viability of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and how the UK might be able to help resolve the conflict peacefully.

Read the Committee's press notice announcing this work for more information.

What happens next?

The Committee is going to conduct oral evidence sessions where they will hear from experts in the field, such as former ambassadors to the region, diplomats, academics, NGOs and charities.

The Committee will then consider all the evidence it has taken and publish a report of its findings with recommendations to the Government.

For more information about the inquiry, visit the Committee's inquiry page.

What is the Foreign Affairs Committee?

The Foreign Affairs Committee is a cross-party group of MPs that looks into the work of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other associated public bodies, such as the British Council.

• Find out more about the Committee on their website

• Follow the committee on X (formerly known as Twitter) for updates on its work

The Foreign Affairs Committee is a select committee.

• Find out how select committees work
  

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MPs held a debate on humanitarian aid and children in Gaza on Thursday 7 February in Westminster Hall. The debate was led by Apsana Begum MP. Leo Docherty MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office responded on behalf of the Government

• Watch the debate
• Read a transcript of the debate

During the debate, MPs discussed the situation of the children of Gaza, including in relation to safety, and access to food, water, education and medicines.

In response, the Minister stated that the Government was focused on practical solutions to getting more aid into Gaza, and continued to call for an immediate pause in the conflict to get aid in and hostages out.

What is a Westminster Hall debate?

Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.

Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.

The topic for this debate was nominated by the Backbench Business Committee. The Committee give backbenchers (MPs who aren’t ministers or shadow ministers) an opportunity to secure a debate on a topic of their choice, either in the main House of Commons Chamber or Westminster Hall.

The debate took place on a ‘general debate' motion expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'. This means that the debate doesn’t end in a vote on a particular action or decision.

• Find out more about Westminster Hall debates

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The Prime Minister appeared before the Liaison Committee on Tuesday 26 March. The Chair of the Petitions Committee, Cat Smith MP, questioned the Prime Minister on a number of issues relating to the situation in Israel and Gaza, including:

• implementation of a ceasefire
• licences for UK arms exports to Israel
• delivery of aid to Gaza

For more information:

• Watch the Liaison Committee session (questions from Cat Smith MP start at 13:56:16)
• Read the transcript of the Liaison Committee (questions from Cat Smith MP start at Q46)

What is the Liaison Committee?

The Liaison Committee is made up of [Select Committee][6] Chairs. It considers the overall work of select committees, promotes the questioning of the Government and chooses committee reports for debates. It questions the Prime Minister about policy, usually three times a year.

• Find out more about the Liaison Committee

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